Student still critical after being struck by SUV on way to school in Eltingville

A photo of Anthony Rizzo, 16, of Eltingville, captured on a schoolmate's cell phone.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The 16-year-old athlete struck by an SUV while crossing Richmond Avenue in Eltingville on Tuesday remains in critical condition, according to a spokesman from Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze.

Anthony Rizzo, 16, was just a few blocks away from his Getz Avenue home, on his way to St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School with one of his friends, when he crossed Richmond by Bartlett Avenue at 6:55 a.m. Tuesday.

As he crossed, he stepped into the northbound path of a 2004 Hyundai Sante Fe driven by 43-year-old Cliff Hagen -- a nature activist and special-education teacher who also lives in Eltingville, according to cops.

The Santa Fe hit Rizzo, causing skull fractures and head trauma, according to police sources.

Hagen has not been charged and police do not believe criminality played a role in the accident.